How to Take Stunning Proof of Performance (POP) Photos of Billboard Ads

––––––What's in an Out-Of-Home POP?––––––

Whenever a major advertiser (e.g. Apple) chooses to advertise on one of our billboards, we take photos of that advertisement to send to them as a POP (Proof Of Performance) report. This document serves three primary purposes:

1. It assures customers that they've gotten what they paid for– that the billboard is indeed high traffic and high impact.
2. It compels us to take high quality photos, which can then be used in our social media, content marketing, and email marketing campaigns. 
3. It provides an added benefit of working with a boutique outdoor advertising company like iKahan, which strives to go above and beyond the level of service that bigger industry players tend to offer (thus keeping our customers coming back).

Up until now, we have taken these POP photos ourselves. However, recent developments have compelled us to hire a real photographer, which will free up time for our marketing and sales teams to do what they do best - market & sell.

In doing so, it occurred to us that POP photography is a niche area within a niche industry, and that there are little to no resources available on the topic.

So, we decided to create our own "10 Best Practices" list, using real iKahan media examples to visualize how a POP should come together in the end... 

–––––––––––––– Here's How it Works –––––––––––––––

Your photos needs to tell a story – the story of the consumer and his journey.

First, it's best to introduce a "long shot," which depicts how the billboard looks when it's fully exposed to our audience for the first time...

As we drive a bit closer, we prepare to take our "approach shot," which captures the visual-spacial relationship of the consumer and the billboard at close range (where he's most likely to notice the advertisement)...

Finally, we add a "close shot" to the end of our POP document, providing visual closure to the consumer's journey and highlighting the quality work done by our installation team (notice there are no wrinkles, creases, or blemishes). 

Some billboards look great as long shots; others look much better as approach shots... the important thing is that you accurately depict each billboard as it appears in real life.  Always remember that the core purpose of your POP is to show that the ad creative exists and resides in the agreed upon location on the agreed upon billboard at the agreed upon time. Keep fluffiness to a minimum.

––––––––––––––– 10 Best Practices ––––––––––––––––

Now that you have a grasp of the vision, let's explore 10 of the Best Practices for creating optimal POP reports that will keep your customers coming back.

1. The billboard is prominently displayed within the frame.

2. There is an accurate representation of the amount of traffic typical for that specific billboard (whether vehicular, pedestrian, or both.) 

3. The photo is shot at street level– the vantage point of the people who will actually be looking at your billboard (i.e. drivers, passengers, and pedestrians). 

4. The camera is positioned on the same side of the road as the media would typically be viewed. (Hint: no one cares how much traffic there is on the OTHER side of a divided highway. It's YOUR billboard's side of the road that matters.)

5. The camera is positioned from either the center or the right side of the road. Shooting from the far left hand turn lane or from one of the sidewalks signals to advertisers that your billboard's intended line of sight is no bueno.

6. No photoshopping. Nowadays, you can change a picture to include or exclude almost anything you like. Keep your POP honest, which means resisting the urge to photoshop out trees, light poles, wires, and other obstructions that make your photo's appearance less-than-ideal. Imperfection is better than deception. NEVER ALTER AN IMAGE.

8.Make sure your long shots depict the billboard in its entirety. There's nothing wrong with adding long-range shots that just barely show the top left corner of the billboard... just note that these are added-benefit "beauty shots," NOT the functionally necessary "long shots," which are required for any properly-executed POP report. Take your long shots as far back as possible while still being able to identify the entirety of the billboard within its environment.

9. Make sure your close shots are identifiable. While close shots are mainly meant to display how the Ad creative appears on the physical bulletin space, it's also important for the viewer to be able to identify the area. Is this billboard in LA or China? You should be able to tell!

10. Organize your POP so that the photos tell a story. That means starting with the furthest photo and ending with the closest.. just as a driver would see it.

**BONUS TIP**

When possible, bring a friend. Taking POP photos can be quite hazardous, as it requires the photographer to navigate heavy traffic while snapping as many photos as possible during the eight-second window in which a digital display typically appears. Make your life easier & safer by having a copilot go with you.

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Thanks!

- iKahan media

PS. Feel free to post in the comments section below if you have additional best practices to suggest, or just to say hello!